What I Wore in April
For the past 2 years I have been leaning heavily into the world of fashion, styling, and creative aesthetics. I’ve never considered myself to have a style until I found Dressing for My Venus Sign and that unlocked the potential of what was possible in terms of fashion. Add that to the beautiful diversity I’ve curated in my newsfeeds of stylish plus size folks showing up and rocking different outfits, styling beyond the norm, and having fun with color, texture, and pattern. I had started a weekly share of outfits that I love, but I was finding that I like almost every outfit throughout the week that I couldn’t contain it to one day a week, so instead, I am going to be doing a monthly feature here on the blog to share what I wore and what I loved and what I learned! This way, if you like anything you see, I can easily link you to the item (or an item like it!) as well.
For important facts about myself & my body size/shape:
Height - 5’10”
Weight - 320 lbs
Shape - rectangular with carrying most of my weight in my tum (not in my bum or hips), broad shoulders & back
Feet - 11WW
I include this info, because it can give you insight into how certain silhouettes shape or change the way I look!
THE VESTS
I am in my “vest” era right now and think the vest is the perfect item to maximize any outfit. Plus I am a sucker for a suit with vest instead of blazer situation. Here were my top vest moments!
The Blue Pant Suit of my Dreams
This pantsuit is literally everything. The color, the fit, the vibe - Torrid came to play! Now, if they could only make the exact same suit in lavender! The belt is from Bella Belts!
2. Nineties Vibes
One of my absolute favorite looks from this month was my black vest with black pleated skirt, featuring a basic white tee (thrifted, but Torrid has some super soft ones) + my modern day mary janes from Poppy Barley. I love a short pleated skirt, but then the vest on top - chef’s kiss!
3. Cottagecore
With my impending retreat to Ireland, I knew I wanted a brown vest for a kind of academic vibe, but until that time comes, I decided to pair it with my thrifted Old Navy gingham dress (this one no longer exists, but I found a similar one at Sweet Legs) + thrifted brown satchel purse (here’s a dupe from Poppy & Peonies) (feat. my little body keychain from Sculpted Muse!) Immediately, I felt strong cottage-core vibes and really leaned into this look.
4. Festival Chic
The Festi high-low tunic top looked very unappealing on the rack, but when I tried it on I was obsessed. This just goes to show, if something intrigues you - try it on! You may be surprised. Then, I paired it with the vest and fell in LOVE! Pairing it with my big black boots (these are from Torrid, but they no longer ship shoes to Canada - here are some Doc Marten dupes!), this outfit screamed festival. I wore bike shorts + a black sports bra underneath.
THE LAYERS
Playing with layers has been a lot of fun and something I will continue doing. I personally have loved the lace over tshirt/tank top idea that I’ve seen on Pinterest (and remember from my youth…though we wore the lace UNDER to peek out). Here are a few ways that I played with layers this month.
Lace Cami
Am I going to be buying this lace cami in every color from Torrid? Absolutely. The fit and flow of it is so whimsical and magical, plus it’s so lightweight as a layer that it works! I layered it with this thrifted blue and white top I got and paired it with my Festi extra wide leg embroidered jeans. I also brought in some gold accents via the belt and earrings.
2. Hidden Layers
To look at this outfit, you may be thinking “Teri, that’s just a skirt & sweater, girl.” NOPE. The skirt is a strapless dress/skirt - of which I pulled right up to my arm pits because I love a mini skirt more than a maxi skirt. then I layered this cardigan sweater I thrifted over it and tossed on a little belt (which doesn’t DO anything, it just creates the element of a waistband for the “skirt”. I love this look mostly because both the skirt & sweater are incredibly soft & comfortable, but also, the skirt can become a dress should the weather become too warm. All of these items were thrifted, but here are some similar options! Floral skirt/dress & button up sweater.
PATTERN
The 3rd element I played around with this month was pattern. From cheetah, to stripes, to florals, and everything in between - I had a lot of fun playing with patterns.
Stripes
Yep, that’s right. Horizontal stripes showed up this month! Despite the bullshit we’ve been fed about who is allowed to wear horizontal stripes, I decided to don them and see for myself. This soft black and cream sweater tee that I thrifted (here’s a dupe!) is so comfy and looks so classy with jeans or a skirt! I got this sweet high waisted button fly jeans from Torrid and I am in LOVE with them!
2. Cheetah
I had stayed away from cheetah print for a very long time. I think it was because cheetah has been one of the only patterns that was afforded to plus size folks and it was usually worn in a way that aged us in our youth. I found this dress at the thrift store and I ripped the lining out of itt because it was a bit snug, but I loved the sheer, flowy nature of the cheetah print fabric. I wore bike shorts & my vest to cover the sheer bits. I got so many compliments on this look that I think I will continue to explore animal print!
3. Florals
I'm no stranger to florals, especially as a plus size gal, but I’ve come to realize the style of florals I like are those that tend to be smaller in nature. I’ve also come to realize I prefer my florals to be on the bottom if I have the option. I think I just like the style more. In the first images, I am wearing a cropped denim vest + floral chiffon skirt from Torrid. The vest strikes again! I felt that the denim is a bit dark for me, but it only cost me $9 - so I’m not gonna complain too much. In the second images, I am wearing a blue sweater from Target a few years ago (here’s a dupe!) + a floral skirt with stretch waist band from Old Navy (which I got for $11!!) (here’s a dupe). In the 3rd images, I am wearing a thrifted crop top (dupe) and maxi linen skirt that I dyed lavender. While the outfit looks cute, I’m not as much of a fan of the print on top - but I did like the color matching!
DENIM
Lastly, I played around with denim a lot. With the extended winter months here, I realized I needed to get on board with wearing pants, so I decided to take a chance on some Old Navy & Torrid jeans and I wasn’t upset about it. In fact, I felt really cute!
For this look I wanted to style my cute little gifted shoes from Poppy Barley, so I tossed on my jeans with a bella belt, a matching yellow tank top from Old Navy, and a cardigan that I custom made! It was nice to wear some summer shoes outside, but literally the next day it snowed a lot.
This is one of my favorite looks because I was going thrifting lol. It’s always best to wear a basic tank top (thrifted) and normally I wear leggings, but I am trying to give up that life for the moment. I opted for these Old Navy wide leg jeans, bella belt + my long coat I got at Target like 6 years ago (Here’s a dupe!). I’m not much of a gray wearer, but I just can’t part with this coat!
